Flying Anne

Looking at 11-year-old Anne riding her bike, climbing fences or jumping on the trampoline, you see a normal, cheerful girl. But not everything is as it seems. Anne has Tourette syndrome, which means she sometimes has to spin around in circles (always to the right) or lick everything in sight. That might be a tomato while doing the grocery shopping, but it could also be the cash register or a redeemable bottle. Anne is ashamed of her behavior – she wants to be able to explain what's wrong with her and does her best to keep her tics under wraps for an entire school day. Longer than that is just too hard: "Like when you're underwater and you need to take a breath, that's how it feels." In addition to her tics, Anne is also more emotional than other kids her age. "When I get mad, I get three times as mad as you do." Despite her problem, Anne does what she can to go through life as normally as possible. She enjoys playing with her friends, who know her and don't require any explanations. "They don't even notice it anymore."